Embroidery Challenge- continuing

About a year ago, the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Textiles, Toronto issued a challenge to its members:  Challenge 2021-2022 Journal Threading.

"Journal Threading is also known as a Stitch Diary. For those who like to embroider or cross stitch, and/or keep written diaries, this is a combination of the two. The template is a 12 section pie chart. Sections can be divided into months (Hebrew or secular), or seasons, or family members, etc. You can make tiny sketches or stitch freehand of an event on any day, or your feelings, or where you went -or the room you stayed home in- because we haven’t gone anywhere, or the weather (very Canadian!) There are no rules for making a stitched record of something that the day happened to bring to mind. The goal is to create a piece that is personal to you. Each section represents a month. If you are a planner, you can draw a whole week’s worth of doodles in the section you are working on, and stitch them with all different threads. If you don’t stitch every day, and like to wait until you have a week’s worth, doodling every day is helpful. Mark your designs on your fabric with the Micron pen or fabric pencil."

This is what I focussed on: There are no rules. 

So instead of using a 12" embroidery hoop, I used an 18" hoop.  Instead of a pie chart, I made a crazy quilt background of pieces from my (mostly) family wedding fabrics stash.  I first divided an 18" freezer paper circle into four equal quarters, and then subdivided those quarters by 3, in random shapes.  I numbered them to know how to put them back together, ironed each pieces onto the front of the fabric pieces, cut them out leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance, and then sewed them back together.

Of course I didn't start this project a year ago and have only been working on it since approximately January 2022.  Don't judge me.

Unfortunately, I did not take a "naked" circle photo.  This is what it looked like after I did the initial embroidering on the seams. 

I also quickly abandoned use of the frame for stitching because I don't like using a frame.  Needless to say abandonment is never a good thing.  The fabric bunched up in certain places
and the circle is no longer 18".  But this is what it looks like now

I  the name of a month in each of the 12 pieces.  I haven't handwritten Hebrew in a long time so my letters are a little wobbly and frankly the initial stitching was terrible.  I "fixed" that problem by weaving a thread over and under the initial stitching.  It beefed up the lettering and looks not too bad.

So how to remedy the less than 18" problem?  If I want to still use the embroidery hoop as my frame, I need to add about 1/2" to 1" to the perimeter.  I found a lovely rainbow-coloured binding tape on Etsy which I hope will do the trick.  I have been very diligent about reining in my consumerism which wasn't all that rampant pre-Covid but still.  

Although the embroidery part in substantially completed, I think a little beading would enhance it further so a little beading it is.

My "final" Embroidery Challenge photos will follow when finished.